The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-09-14

| :beir full development in the forms ol Amer
| lean Government the spirit of American
| freedom. and the safeguards OF America.
| liberty.
| ARISroTLES SURVEY or THE GREEK FORM
GOVERNMENT.
| AriStotle'S survey Of the Greek forms q
government, embraced the history and con
| Stitution OF more than one hundred and ftt,
| states, in the mother country and the colo
Mes and furnish nearly all the information
| that we have on the subject. This Is neceSsar
/ lily scanty and fragmentary, giving but an i'm
| perfect view of their Internal condition ant
ages, the constitution universally prevalent
| was q monarchy, limited by ancient custom
and body of chiefs raised above the people.
in other words, an ariStocracy with Il hcredi
tary prince at It's head. A monarchy abusing
its powers, was designated by Aristotle, as {
tyranny an aristOcricy, rs an oligarchy, ant
a commonwealth or polty, as democracy
The earlier forms passed by natural tranS1
| tlon, into the later. and whilst the ruling
body was losing u part OF its strength, tht
''ommonalty was constantly growing In mum
bcrs and wealth. at must not be forgotten,
| says Thrlwall, that the terms oligarchy ant
democracy, refer only 10 II small part OF The
| prpulation-the native frcemcn-and did no
| include slaves and free Foreigners"
DEMocRACIES OF SPARTA AND ATHENS.
| \ democracy which fully satisfied the
| Greek notion. was one In which every attri
butte Of sovereignty. without respect TO rank
man. Snch was the constitution of Sparta
where the sovereign power resided In the as
scmbly OF the people, established long before
the days Of lycurgus, where there was an elec
tive Senate of thirty members. charged with
functions, deliberative, executive and judi
rial: two of whom exercised the kingly of
flee, and TO whom, assisted by council o
war, was entrusted the direction Of military
operations. Such, in large measure, was
the constitution of Athens, where the JoarN
class though excluded from the magistracy
which was divided among the three higher
classes, ruled in the popular assembly and In
the higher courts To restrain the assembly
and conduct its business there was the coun.
Gil of Four Hundred-there was also a Su.
prcme Court of sir thousand citizens, chosen by
lot, and charged with the highest judicial
iunctions-and besides, the august Court OF
the AnopaguS sitting In the open air, and eX.
crcising the highest powers Of criminal juriS-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. re-modcled If not eStab'
liShcd by Solon, and with all their defects
showing the caution and ingenuity of wise
and experienced statesman.
GREEK SOCIETY FRAMED FOR WAR.
But the whole framework of society was
based upon a system repugnant 10 our no
tionS of individual liberty and personal inde
pendence-a system formed for war, which
converted every commonwealth into an arm.
ed camp, and subordinated every individual
right To the supremacy Of the State-interfer.
cd with every association in life, and crushed
out all independence and freedom of action
hence their Sumptuary and agrarian laws
hence the universal practice of infanticide-
hence the institution OF domestic slavery
and hence all the atrocities OF the ancient
warfare, which however mitigated among tho
:onian races, was universally prevalent
among the Greek States. And we must not
forget too. that in ancient Athens 100000 citi.
ZcnS ruled over 100000 slaves, besides eNercis
ing Jurisdiction over other Greek States. And
what sort of freedom was that enjoyed by
the Athenean citizens, when the purse, and
the sword, and the scales of Justice were alike
;,,, l,nh hn, Ic Of of,h NrIInh
Pcriclcs, became the tools of every designing
demagoeue, overriding all law and living up
on conflScution and plunder; where there
were none OF the checks which our constitu.
tinnS, state and Federal impose upon the va
rious departments of the governmcnt-whcrc
there were none Of the safeguards OF Anglo
Saxon liberty, Magma Cnrtd, Iridt by Jury,
and HubcuS Corpus, and where life, liberty ana
proi erty were at the mercy Of mob whose
name was Legion and whose will was the ST.
preme law.
THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION.
Well might Hamilton and the disciples OF
his school, stand aghast at the retrospect OF
States, "diSsevcrcd. discordant and belliEcr.
By intestine discord and exhausted by contin.
unl war, and seek elsewhere for models Of free
and stable government. The Articles of Con-
federation could furnish no models, but rather
Il warning against the dangers. which threat
ened the life of the new republic. The Con-
grcsS OF the Confederation had the mere sem.
blance of government, without power, either
over the States or the people; the Confcdera.
iion had no financial system, no Judiciary,
and its Congress was mere representation oi
sovereign States. who might at any time re-
call their delegates. and disregard the action
Of the central authority. The evils of the old
system are clearly pointed out, in those able
articles of Hamilton, Madison and Jay which
compose the Federallst and embody the pro.
foundcst lessons Of wisdom for the student OF
political history.
THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
The leading statesmen Of the convention,
found in the British Constitution. with Its
threefod division of power Legislative. En-
ecutive and Judicial, and In the twofold d.
vision Of the Legislative Branch, a model OF
free institutions, which with notifications
adapted to our changed condition, might pro-
tect our ancient rights, and adapt Itself to our
growing civilization.
TIE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION A COMPROMISE.
4 herculean task however awaited the
trainers Of the Federal Constitution amid the
jarring and conflicting Interests Of thirteen
was only obtained by the compromise OF
many conflicting interests. and after long and
earnest debate. Only eleven States were rep
resented in the Convention. and the five
larger States, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nir-
ginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, came
with a plan, submitted by Edmund RAN
dolph, of Virginia. which provided for Con-
ercSs of two houses. an Executive, and n jul
dietary. but both Houses were to he chosen In
proportion to population; and Congress was
to choose the Executive and the Judiciary:
thus throwing it in the power Of the large
States to control the government. On the
contrary, VIM. Patterson, of New Jersey, rep.
reSenting the smaller States, proposed plan,
which continued the Congress Of the Confed-
GRAFTON, giving a power TO control commerce,
and 10 cOerce the States refusing to obey Its
commands. The Federal Constitution, as
adopted. was compromise between these Op.
posing views and so apparently irreconcila.
bile were they, that the Convention was more
than once on the brink of dissolution, with.
out effecting It's purpose.
THE COMPROMISES OF TIE FEDERAL coNsTI-
TUITION.
The first great compromise was the present
Constellation Of The Sendte which as q cOmpen-
Sation for proportionate representation In the
Lower House, gave to the smaller States,
equal representation in the Upper House. or
Senate. This gave to the smaller States, that
equality OF representation in an imn0rtant
department of the government. which fur
nishcd a valuable safeguard TO their power
and independence. Another compromise was
the grant TO the South of three: :fHhS Tcprrsen
tdfton Of Ucir siduc population. Another com
promise, was the extension Of the stare fatie ion
t,ccnty ycdrS. Another important provision
was, aS TO future ratification and amendment
The ratification of nine States. was to be Sufh
cient to put the Constitution In force; and an
independent power of amendment, was given
10 tco-hirds of Congress and convention ol
legislators Of Mree.fOlUths Of the States Con:
gress was given the power and has exercised
IT or admitting new States into the union
and under this power hrcntv-fre new States
have been admitted: and the time may come
when the new States shall furnish Il three
| fOlnHS vote over the adverse vote Of the orig
inal thirteen States Thus through the opera.
tion of national causes, and the liberal Inter
| pretation of constitutional powers, apart from
the war of Secession, and the arbitrament O
the sword. has the sovereignty OF the states, M
It's original sense, been suhordinated to tho
power of the Federal government.
THE LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE AND JUDI
| CIAL DEPARTMENTS.